John V.Fardella:
Quint: I read your paragraph in memories of Jule Spohn about Max's
little corral. I used to guide there too around 60-62 used to ride
"dancer, Bulldog and rebel before Artie's father bought him
for him. He ruined that horse. Did you help Max on the vegetable
truck too? How about Happy with the Hay rides. Max's favorite expression
"haa..You" while cracking his whip. His son Arthur was
a character wasn't he? I wonder if I knew you. I remember a Manny
up there who rode bulldog too. I thought it was our Manny. Denny
used to bring "jimmy" home to school at Southside. Remember?
This has to bring back some memories to you. No? I rode there From
1959 to about 1973.You wouldn't know the place now.
Quint:
Greetings John,
I rode at the Little Corral a few years before you. I began riding
there about 1948 and I'd guide on weekends and on days I played
hooky. I never helped Max on the veggie truck, I only knew of his
activities at the Corral. My sidekicks were Gary Garret and Eddie
Naspinski, we all joined the Marine Corps in 1950 and that sort
of ended our riding activities for a few years. Gary went on to
raise his own horses after he left the corps and Eddie would hang
out at Gary's place in Livingston and help train the horses. When
I rode at the Little Corral there were a few black guys who worked
there regularly, one was named Speedy..they were neat guys to ride
with.
I used to ride Gyspsy when I guided on weekends...old nag probably
died before you started going to the Little Corral. Eventually,
I got my own horse, well, not really, Eddie, Gary and I were partners
in owning our horse. One day, when I was truant, I rode it down
to Weequahic HS and on a dare, rode it across the lawn. I got in
a bit of trouble for that escapade.
John, did you ever chug-a-lug a beer at the Old Cider Mill in your
days...I know I did in mine.
Nice talking to you, John.
Manny:
Hi John,
It was not "our Manny" (I sort of like that). This Manny
never got on a horse until he was 21, when he went to college at
Alva, Okla. That was late 1968. I managed to get a part-time job
at a local ranch ($1.25 an hour), and part of my duties were to
help herd cattle while I was on horseback. I made quite the dashing
figure of the Marlboro Man - cowboy boots, cowboy hat, and my black,
lamb-skin leather jacket that I bought at Newark's Howard Clothiers
in 1965. My other duties were to clean out the stables, so I grew
to dislike horses intensely. I also helped "slop" hogs
- all this for a Central Ward/Vailsburg street kid.
Quint:
Manny,
I still wear my Levi's, boots, big belt buckle and when I ride I
wear my Stetson. I used to buy my stuff at Red Eisner's on Prince
St. In those days Red was the only story in Newark that carried
Levi's.
When I lived in Sierra Madre, CA, right next to Pasadena, I kept
two horses in my backyard. After work, I'd come home, throw a saddle
blanket on one of them and take a two hour ride into the National
Forest which was six blocks from my house. I sold my horses when
I retired and moved to the desert. I go out on a hack horse occasionally
but my weak back can't take two hour rides anymore.
My wife can't get over that fact that I'm a cowboy from Newark,
NJ.
Tony DiGiesi:
Hi Quint & John:
I rode Gypsy back in the mid 50's. She was not to frisky so the
ride was ok. I ran with the guys from Crystals on SOUTH ORANGE AVE.
and 10th street and we hopped the 31 South Orange Ave Bus to get
to Max's .
Duddy and Vally worked and rode there and some of the boys from
Louigi's on South Orange. Ave..... The smell was hard to take by
the Barn....... cleared your head PHewwww clean those stalls.
We talked about Max's Little Corral a bit ago And I posted a lot
of pictures but it's always good to remember the fun days.
Tony D.
Manny:
Hi Quint,
I have a pair of brown Noconas that I wear all the time with my
Levi 517s. I also have a western belt with my name carved in the
back. It was hand-made by a prisoner at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
I seldom wear the belt, though. Can't find a nice enough buckle.
Quint:
Tony,
I remember when you and I exchanged memories about the Little Corral
and I remember your pics. I guess Gypsy was worn out by the fifties
when you rode her. Back in the forties She cow-kicked me more than
once when I walked into her stall to get her out. She was pretty
frisky back then.
Do you guys remember the Old Cider Mill?
JohnV.:
Quint:I remember the old cider mill. Isn't still there?
John V.:
Hey Guys: It's nice to remember riding at Max's brings back some
fond memories as mean as that son-#*?%&*? was. When you walked
thru the passage way from the Loop (remember the loop?) there was
some old construction equipment handing around there. Good trivia
question "what was the name of the company? Quint, Tony, Manny
come on I don't think Nicky G has a clue to this one. Idon't picture
him riding at Max's...Right Nick?
Quint:
John,
I remember going from the Loop to the Corral but for the life of
me I don't remember any construction equipment there. It might have
gotten put there after my time.
I don't know if the Old Cider Mill is still there. We used to go
there for a beer from time to time. One of our "things"
was to wrap a match in a label that we took off the neck of a beer
bottle. The labels were made of a kind of foil. we would ignite
the end of the match and when it burned down to the match head,
which was enclosed in the wrapper, it would take off like a rocket.
Of course we would aim the "rocket" up and away to avoid
getting injured. And of course, we were 86d from the Old Cider Mill
until we promised not to send off any more rockets.
John V.:
Quint: Could be they put it there later. Although it looked like
it was there for a while. Seems you rode there about 10 years before
I did. With a respect I'm a little Younger{60)I'll leave the question
up a little longer. Maybe the others saw it. Did you ride on the
street for a while, before getting into the reservation by the train
station in Millburn?
Quint:
John,
As I recall, we would ride through the brush from the Corral to
the Loop, then on to the street, up a slight hill, under the RR
overpass, along the street on the side on the hill parallel to the
RR tracks and then we'd pick up a bridle trail and took off at a
gallop.
The trail was about a mile or two long. Then we would reverse direction
and come back after a short rest.
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